Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) have become a weapon of choice for terrorist groups in West Africa. They are simple to design, and their components remain cheap and easily accessible. The consequence is a steadily increasing number of IED attacks, harming innocent civilians. For regional governments, effectively responding to IED attacks is challenging due to their complex networks and illicit supply chains. To encourage dialogue and best practice sharing, a regional, three-day, in-person meeting, ‘Preventing and Countering the Acquisition and Use of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) by Terrorist Groups in West Africa’ was held, led by the West Africa Working Group Co-Chairs, Algeria, and Germany.

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The Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) Working Group hosted its sixth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) as implementing partner. This session builds on the previous workshop, highlighting knowledge and best practice sharing in funding and enabling local P/CVE initiatives, while working towards the drafting of the framework document of recommendations.

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Rehabilitating and reintegrating FTFs and their family members is complex on social, security and human rights dimensions. To gain a better understanding, collective dialogue and information exchange on capacity building and on the strengthening of good practices tailored to local contexts and human security perspectives, is essential.

On 2 May, an interactive, in-person side event was made possible by the Foreign Terrorist Fighter Working Group (FTF WG), co-chaired by the United States and Jordan, and the Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG), co-chaired by Australia and Indonesia, on the margins of the 21^st  GCTF Coordinating Committee Meeting in Cairo, Egypt.

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Judicial independence includes the duty and ability of a judge to decide each case on the basis of an objective evaluation of evidence that is presented, and an impartial application of the law, without the influence of outside factors – to ensure that the fundamental rights of all parties to a case have been fully respected. The Plenary Meeting of the GCTF Criminal Justice and Rule of Law (CJ-ROL) Working Group is the first under the Working Group Co-Chairs, Italy and Nigeria. The meeting provides an opportunity for the Co-Chairs to present the Working Group’s main priority areas, and for the participants to reflect on current practices and provide strategic guidance.

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The Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG) hosted its fifth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by GCERF as implementing partner. This session builds on the fourth workshop that highlighted knowledge and best practice sharing in the funding and enablement of local P/CVE initiatives.

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Terrorist groups’ activities transcends national borders. The transnational nature of the terrorist threat requires strong interagency cooperation, regionally and nationally, to prevent and counter terrorism. The GCTF West Africa Working Group Co-Chairs, Algeria, and Germany, organized the “Strengthening National and Regional Cooperation in the Security and Justice Sectors to Counter Terrorism in West Africa” regional meeting to discuss ways to strengthen national and regional cooperation in the security and justice sectors to prevent and counter terrorism in the West African region.

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The Countering Violent Extremism Working Group (CVE WG) hosted its fourth workshop under its Initiative on Funding and Enabling P/CVE initiatives at the Community Level, supported by GCERF. This session builds on the third workshop, highlighting knowledge and best practice sharing in funding and enabling local P/CVE initiatives.

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Returning family members of foreign terrorist fighters often represent a complex combination of victim, perpetrator, and witness — requiring complex and multi-stakeholder approaches that are trauma-informed and require age, gender, and culturally sensitive responses, from intake procedures through intervention programs, criminal justice responses, and community reconciliation.

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The GCTF East Africa Working Group held a side event on the margins of the Twentieth GCTF Coordinating Committee in New York. The event sought to promote gender-sensitive approaches to leadership, policymaking and processes related to criminal justice responses to terrorism in East Africa. Read more »